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A report from The Washington Post on Tuesday warned that "Democrats are nervous" about New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, as the 34-year-old democratic socialist’s momentum continues ahead of the election.
"In New York, Zohran Mamdani is on the verge of taking democratic socialism to new heights if he wins election as mayor of the nation’s most populous city," wrote The Post's Sabrina Rodriguez. "Outside New York, some Democrats are growing anxious."
The headline read, "A democratic socialist is poised to become New York mayor. Democrats are nervous."
The report contains quotes from numerous Democrats expressing their concerns over what Mamdani's potential win could mean for the Democratic Party's image, and how it could reinforce Republicans’ claims that Democrats aim to usher in socialism.
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a campaign rally at Forest Hills Stadium in the Queens borough of New York City on Oct. 26, 2025. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
"It’s one thing for Republicans to use absurd attacks calling Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi socialists to scare voters," Fernand Amandi, a longtime Democratic strategist, told The Post. "It’s another thing to use an actual socialist to scare voters about the Democrats being the party of socialists, and that’s the concern about Mamdani."
Rodriguez noted that with Mamdani maintaining his momentum in New York's mayoral race, "anxiety over electing a democratic socialist is especially high" in New York suburbs, New Jersey, Florida and other places where a large swath of immigrants fled left-wing regimes like Cuba and Venezuela.
The report also pointed out that while some Democrats have argued that the fears surrounding a possible Mamdani win are "overblown or outweighed" by the young democratic socialist's ability to energize young voters, others have distanced themselves from him.
"If we’re focused on playing defense on Mamdani, that will be a… major distraction," Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said during an interview with The Post. He added that Mamdani has "extremist views" that do not align with the Democratic Party and expressed concern that Republicans will cast him as a "bogeyman" in attack ads.
ZOHRAN MAMDANI LANDS LONG-WAITED KEY ENDORSEMENT IN NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL RACE
Additionally, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., has said that he is a "democratic capitalist, not a democratic socialist," and slammed socialism as a "failed economic system" which "hasn’t ever worked in the history of the world," The Post reported.
Then-Democratic congressional candidate for New York's 3rd district, Tom Suozzi, delivers his victory speech after winning the special election to fill the seat vacated by Republican George Santos, in Woodbury, New York, Feb. 13, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/REUTERS)
"That’s just not something that we endorse or support," Suozzi told the outlet.
Similar to Suozzi, Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., told The Post in a statement that she opposes Mamdani's policies, and emphasized that the residents of the district she represents, Nassau County, know that she is a moderate Democrat. The outlet also noted that she had publicly called on her colleagues to speak up and say: "We are not socialists."
As reported by The Post, many of Mamdani's critics within the Democratic Party have praised the mayoral nominee for motivating young voters and voters of color who may have opted to stay home or even voted for President Donald Trump.
"Mamdani, much like President Trump, has properly diagnosed the problems that people are confronting in their daily lives. They have economic insecurity. They’re worried about the cost of living," Suozzi told The Post. "He’s wrong about his proposed solutions."
With just over a week until Election Day, Mamdani holds a double-digit lead in the high-profile race for the nation's most populous city, but former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is narrowing the gap, according to a new public opinion poll.
A recent poll shows former Gov. Andrew Cuomo trailing Mamdani just a week out from the election. (Angelina Katsanis/Pool via Reuters; Mike Segar/Reuters)
The 34-year-old democratic socialist stands at 44% support among likely voters in the most recent survey in the race, from Suffolk University. Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 amid multiple scandals and who is running as an independent candidate in the general election after losing the primary, had 34% support in the survey.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani's campaign for comment.
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
